Sales Representatives are the face of any organization. They play a vital role in any company. Despite the types, costs and features of the products that they sell, their main responsibilities are to attract retailers, buyers, purchasing agents and clients. Besides that, they have to address the requests or concerns of their customers. In a company, sales representatives stand for one or several distributors by selling one product or a complimentary line of them. They also give suggestions to their clients about methods or strategies that can help them decrease costs, employ their products and augment sales.
Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics from the U.S. Department Labor there are different employment options among the sales jobs; for example: the sales representatives are employed directly by a manufacturer or wholesaler. Manufacturer agents or manufacturer representatives are self-employed sales workers or independent firms who want to hire sales representatives for many manufacturing companies. Nevertheless, most of the titles are used interchangeably.
Most sales representatives travel and visit potential buyers and current customers. They also have to take phone calls. They have to build rapport with clients, know and understand what they need and suggest to them how their product or service will fulfill their expectations. In addition, when they visit a client, they have to show them samples or catalogs that describe their merchandise and inform them about prices, availability, discounts, promotions and features. A sales representative must be creative because there are similar products in the market; he/she must emphasize any unique qualities of his/her product. When they close a sell most of them may help install the new equipment and train other employees. They also have to take orders and solve any problem that the customer can find, such as: the merchandise, guarantees, credit and their account status.
Marketing is an important part of this kind of job. Sales representatives have to participate, organize shows, conferences and meet clients. They also have to track advertising.
Working as sales representatives could be an interesting opportunity for you.